Competing to be unique

1. Competing to be Unique

2. BEING THE BEST - Best Practice
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Processes and Systems
 Client response times
 Student enrolment process
 Resource Management
 Teacher recruitment & CPD
 Accommodation allocation
 Data management
 Timetabling, occupancy
 CRM
 Course design
NOW WHAT?
OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
 Maximising
resources
 Reducing wastage
 Optimising efficiency

3. Competitive Convergence
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4. Competing for Value
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Price is what you pay. Value
is what you get.

5. Beware the 5 Forces
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6. The 5 Forces
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7. Force 1 – Supplier Bargaining Power
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8. Force 2 – Buyer Bargaining Power
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Sales
Direct
Referrals
Agencies

9. Force 3 – Threat of Substitutes
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• Elearning
• Mlearning
• Games-based learning
• App-based learning
• Video-based learning
• Peer-to-peer learning
• Virtual worlds learning
• Webex, skype, gotomeeting..
• MOOCs
• Better in-country language teaching
• Google Translate

10. KERRR–CHING!!!
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$10m
€3.5m
$15m $8.5m

11. Force 4 – Threat of New Entrants
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LOW BARRIERS TO ENTRY
 Rooms
 IT systems
 Teachers
 Accommodation
 very few ‘sunk costs’
HIGHER BARRIERS
 Accreditation
 Relationships with agents
 Crowded key locations
 Creating a USP

12. Force 5 - The Competition…
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13. Introducing… Strategy
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“Strategy can be viewed as building defenses against
the competitive forces or finding a position in the
industry where the forces are weakest.”
Michael Porter
“You don’t have a real strategy if it doesn’t pass these
two tests: that what you’re planning to do really matters
to your existing and potential customers; and second, it
differentiates you from your competition.”
Verne Harnish

14. Creating Unique Value – Your UVP
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Your Unique Value Proposition:
What are you going to sell?
Who to?
Why are they going to buy from you?
What’s the U in your USP?

15. Creating Unique Value – Your UVC
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Your Unique Value Chain
How are you going to realise the UVP?
How will you configure your resources most effectively?
How will bring external partners and suppliers on side?
and…
How will you stop others from copying you?

16. Strategic Choice 1: DIFFERENTIATION
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17. Strategic Choice 2: FOCUS
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“2 inches wide, 2 miles deep”
Just say No!

18. Strategic Choice 3: COST MANAGEMENT
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19. Strategic Choice 3: COST MANAGEMENT
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20. Aligning the Company
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Suppliers
Course
Delivery
Sales
Marketing
Buyers
Human Resources
Company Infrastructure
Technology
Procurement
Primary Inputs
Support structures

21. Communicating the Strategy
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22. KISS!
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23. To summarise
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1. Operational excellence – yes. Operating in the same way as everyone else – no.
2. There is no point in size or growth if those are profitless.
3. Competitive advantage is about creating unique value for customers. If you have a
competitive advantage, it will show up on your P&L.
4. A distinctive value proposition is essential for strategy. But if it doesn’t require a
specifically tailored value chain to deliver it, it will have no strategic relevance.
5. Don’t feel you have to ‘delight’ every possible customer out there. Say No
sometimes.
6. Focus, differentiate, lead on costs, align the organisation, execute brilliantly,
measure, improve and deepen what you do.

24. To continue the conversation..
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e: chris@specialistlanguagecourses.com
t: +44 7788 294853
s: chris.moore.slc
w: www.specialistlanguagecourses.com